Gear:30

Reviewers Paul Forward, Luke Koppa, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about the signs we’re going stir crazy; Shane McConkey’s Volant Spatula vs. other modern pow skis; the DPS Koala 119; the new LINE Vision 118; our current nominations for best underwear; Luke’s new mustache; and more.And you should also listen to this Bikes & Big Ideas episode, where Jonathan Ellsworth talks to several outdoor-industry companies that have pivoted to fight COVID-19.TOPICS & TIMES:Our Bikes & Big Ideas podcast (0:21)Our next Listener Appreciation Video (1:57)Signs we’re going stir crazy (5:50)McConkey’s Spatula (14:59)Houdini Anorak (29:20)Spatula vs other pow skis (33:25)Clarifying Terms: “Spines” & “Cliffs” (35:10)Reverse camber skis (40:30)Line Vision 118 (43:39)DPS Koala 119 (49:40)Best underwear nominees (56:40) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bison Wool? Bison Down? That’s a thing? Well it’s being used by one company, United By Blue, who started salvaging otherwise wasted bison fibers, and is now incorporating them into a growing range of products.So we talked with Brendan Raugh, senior apparel designer at United By Blue, which sells bison fiber outerwear. We talk about how United By Blue was founded as a waterway cleanup company; how they went on to develop an entire line of apparel around salvaged bison coat fibers; the logistics of creating a new supply chain; how bison fibers compare to sheep’s wool and goose down; what the futures holds for the company and their unique material; and more. TOPICS & TIMES:Brendan’s background & current role (1:35)United By Blue’s mission to clean waterways (2:35)Why use bison fibers? (7:15)Their unique supply chain (11:07)What is scouring & dehairing? (13:45)The different types of bison fibers (16:20)Bison vs. Goose Down (20:31)What is bison fiber apparel best suited for? (22:20)United By Blue’

Full Tilt ski boots are beloved by some (including the likes of Bode Miller, Tom Wallisch, Seth Morrison, and Sammy Carlson), but they get pigeonholed by others who think of them as only being for park rats.So we are joined by Austin Peters, the Ski Boot Engineering Manager for Full Tilt and K2 Ski Boots, to talk about the history of Full Tilt; what makes Full Tilts unique; why you might opt for a Full Tilt vs an ‘overlap’ ski boot; and what’s new for 20/21 (including Sammy Carlson’s new pro model).TOPICS & TIMES:Current Position & Background (3:30)History of Full Tilt (11:00)2-Piece / Overlap Boots vs. 3-Piece Boots (13:45)Swappable Tongues / Adjustable Flex Pattern (15:30)Changes to FT’s flex pattern naming conventions (17:33)Standardizing flex ratings (19:00)What’s changed & what hasn’t? (21:55)New Pro Tongue Liner (25:00)Pro Tongue Liner vs. Wrap Liner (27:25)What sort of skier ought to consider Full Tilts? (30:43)Range of top skiers in Full Tilts (35:03)Boot-fitter-friendliness (40:10)Sammy C

Picture Organic Clothing is going way beyond common sustainability practices with things like castor bean oil waterproof membranes and sugar cane waste-derived polyester, and they are attempting to eliminate polybags from their entire supply chain.So Sam Shaheen sat down with Picture’s co-founder, Julien Durant, and their sustainability manager, Florian Palluel to talk about these ambitious projects. And then we go in-depth on the new air-permeable membrane, Xpore, that they are putting in direct competition with Gore Pro and TNF Futurelight.TOPICS & TIMES:Julian & Flo’s background (1:00)Sustainability practices (5:55)Poly Bags (11:14)What are the big sustainability problems you can solve? (22:20)Wearing atmosphere-captured carbon?? (24:10)Castor Bean Oil (28:00)Cost vs. Performance (31:50)Converting sugar cane into polyester? (34:12)Picture Organic’s “Xpore” (36:40) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Luke Koppa, Kristin Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss some of the new skis, boots and apparel they’ve been testing. We also discuss what skis we prefer for off-piste, icy conditions; the merits of slim fit ski pants; which ski boots are best described as “donkeys”; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:K2 Reckoner 102, 112, 122 (3:00)K2 Reckoners vs. K2 Mindbenders (6:00)Nordica Santa Ana 93 & 98 (8:00)Blizzard Cochise 106 (13:42)Dynastar M-Free 108 (20:40)Rossignol Black Ops Rallybird Ti & non-Ti (25:18)Ski pant fit: slim vs. baggy (29:26)WNDR Intention 110 (35:53)Arc'teryx Incendia One-Piece (38:25)Hawx Ultra 130S; Hawx Ultra XTD 130; Full Tilt (40:32)Hawx Prime XTD 130 (43:10) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We talk with Graham Lonetto, the Alpine Director for the USA at Swix — the company that invented color-coded waxes, and one of the largest manufacturers of ski wax in the world — about different types of waxes and application methods; the most common mistake made when waxing skis; the FIS’s ban on fluorocarbons in waxes; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Graham’s background in ski racing (1:45)Kick Wax vs. Glide Wax (4:00)Base Prep & Top Coat (6:30)Paraffin vs. Liquid vs. Powdered (8:21)Application methods (12:40)What is “water management”? (16:12)How often do pros “burn” their skis? (21:15)The death of hot scraping? (27:20)The push to eliminate fluorocarbons (41:26)DPS Phantom vs. traditional wax? (50:22) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ski boot liners are probably the most overlooked and least appreciated piece of ski gear out there, but they are a critical piece of equipment. So Matt Manser, the product manager of Atomic Ski Boots, is back on GEAR:30 for Part 4 of our “Very Deep Dive on Ski Boots” series, and this time, we’re demystifying the extremely complex, very expensive, and poorly understood category of ski boot liners.We kick off the conversation by brushing up a bit on plastics (specifically, the not-so-straightforward label, “Grilamid”); then we discuss forward lean and ramp angles; and then we jump down the rabbit hole on ski boot liners, and talk about the different types of liners and their pros and cons; the “30 seconds” test and why Atomic views it as so critical; whether it’s smart to shove an aftermarket liner into a high-performance shell; and then Matt talks about a brand new liner from Atomic that incorporates their “Mimic” technology. In the process, we also talk about next year’s Hawx Ultra 130 S alpine boot, and the

Sam Shaheen was recently in Courmayeur, Italy to test the new SCOTT Superguide Freetour in the spectacular mountains surrounding Mont Blanc. After several days of big lines and long tours, he came away thoroughly impressed. So, in the first half of this conversation, he talks with SCOTT’s CMO, Reto Aeschbacher, about the backstory of SCOTT, the challenges of managing large product lines, and the motivation behind their new line of backcountry skis. Then he does a deep dive with SCOTT’s Ski Product Manager,  Franz Marsan, about the new Superguide Freetour. You can also watch this conversation on our Blister YouTube channel.TOPICS & TIMES:SCOTT Sports becoming an “international” brand (5:02)Why make so many different types of products? (6:42)Will we see a SCOTT binding? (12:08)The 2020 Winter Collection (15:41)The New Superguide Freetour (20:00)What is a 3D sidecut radius? (30:51)Superguide 95 vs. Freetour (38:00)New touring boot (40:25) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out informati

Patagonia’s Glen Morden (Product Innovation, Materials, & Development) and Corey Simpson (Communications) came to Crested Butte to ski with us and to discuss how Patagonia is thinking about sustainability and product performance; how they continue to evolve on this front; talk about a few of their new pieces; their prototyping process; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Future performance innovations (8:00)Sustainability Practices: 5 Years Ago vs. Today (12:20)End-of-life solutions for garments (16:20)Is sustainability a performance characteristic? (22:06)Patagonia’s new Stormstride Kit & Upstride Kit (27:33)“Perceived” Comfort & Breathability (33:11)Simplifying kits (43:44)The death of distinguishing between “hard” and “soft” shells? (46:00)Dressing for the worst-case scenario? (47:50)Patagonia’s prototyping process (52:29)Where will we see the biggest improvements? (57:42) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We sat down at the Outdoor Retailer / SIA show to discuss some of the most notable trends, interesting products, weirdest products, and the thing at the show that caused Jonathan to legally change his name.TOPICS & TIMES:New trends in apparel (3:43)New trends in skis (10:58)Gear we’re most curious to try (14:20)Gear we’re most tempted to steal (31:00)Weirdest thing we saw (39:41) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In part 2 of our conversation with SCARPA CEO, Kim Miller, Kim offers his predictions for the ski industry and how SCARPA is positioning itself for the future; discusses which materials they use in their boots and why; shares the lessons learned from the Maestrale 2017 recall; and then unveils a brand-new boot, the F1 LT.To see the new SCARPA F1 LT for yourself, head over to the BLISTER Youtube Channel to watch a video of the conversation.TOPICS & TIMES:How did the popularity of the Maestrale RS shape your line? (1:11)SCARPA’s approach to sustainability (5:55)Ski industry predictions (9:52)Which different plastics are in the F1 & Maestrale XT? ( 16:35)The Maestrale 2017 recall (30:00)Unveiling the new F1 LT boot (34:30) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We talk to Lange’s Global Brand Director, Thor Verdonk, about Lange’s use of 'dual core' technology; why “ski boots should be alive”; the brand-new, 3rd generation, Lange XT3; heat-moldable shells; 3d printed boots; the future of Lange; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:What is “dual core” technology? (4:30)Elasticity & ski boot weight (9:27)Which boots are the hardest to develop? (13:53)Heat moldable shells (15:53)Elasticity / “Suspension” (17:30)Lange XT (1st Gen.) (18:45)Lange XT Freetour (2nd Gen.) (19:50)Lange XT3 (New 3rd Gen.) (22:43)What’s next for Lange? (34:13)3D printed boots? (38:50) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last week we talked about the best ski gear of the past decade, so now it’s time to make our predictions about what gear will look like 10 years from now? What product categories have the most room for improvement? What ski gear will actually change the most? What gear will change the least? And what are our wildest gear predictions for where gear could be in 10 years? We discuss all of this and more in a roundtable discussion.TOPICS & TIMES:Thoughts on our last episode (2:25)Our gear predictions (17:25)Gear w/ the most room for improvement (34:30)What gear will actually change most? (44:16)Gear that will change the least (50:26)“Women-specific” products? (52:26)Wildest predictions (55:10) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Of the entire past decade, what was the most influential ski, ski boot, and ski binding? What was the best ski? What were the biggest trends? And what was our selection for the Best Product of the Decade? We cover all of this and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Most Influential Ski, 2000-2009 (3:00)Most Influential Ski, 2010-2019 (5:30)Best Ski (13:40)Most Influential Ski Boot (32:30)Most Influential AT Binding (40:58)Best Ski Binding (46:02)Biggest Trends (51:30)Best Product (56:24) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today we’re catching up with Blister reviewer, Paul Forward, about some of the skis, AT boots, and an AT binding that Paul has been spending time on in Girdwood, Alaska. Paul and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss the Volkl Mantra 102; the DPS Koala 119; the new Atomic Backland Carbon AT boot; the Fritschi Xenic lightweight touring binding; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Volkl Mantra 102 (4:40)Mantra 102 vs. Mantra M5, etc. (8:30)DPS Koala 119, 189 cm (13:20)Koala 119 vs. (OG) Moment Bibby vs. Dynastar Menace Proto (16:19)New Atomic Backland Carbon AT Boot (21:03)Scarpa Maestrale XT Boot (27:00)New Fritschi Xenic AT Binding (30:22)Paul’s Advanced Wilderness Life Support course (35:10) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Earlier this week, Sam Shaheen visited SCARPA’s North American headquarters to talk with SCARPA’s CEO, Kim Miller, and they had a great conversation that we’ll be releasing in two parts. Here in Part 1, Kim and Sam discuss his impressive career in the outdoor industry; SCARPA’s philosophy of ski boot design; their position within the market; the specifics of the new Maestrale XT; Kim’s thoughts on boot/binding compatibility; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Kim’s storied career & backcountry adventures (4:00)Scarpa’s approach to ski boots (23:35)Kim’s one-boot quiver (32:25)Maestrale XT (42:45)“Frankenboots” (58:30)Boot / binding compatibility (1:02:35) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last week, Sam Shaheen, Luke Koppa, and I addressed some of the questions you have been asking us about ski quivers, and we also discussed the topic of the one-boot quiver. And now, we are running part 2 of this conversation, this time, with our reviewers Kristin Sinnott, Sascha Anastas, and Kara Williard.TOPICS & TIMES:Ski Quivers (3:35)One Boot Quiver? (22:25) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We recently published the 19/20 edition of our reviewers’ personal selections for their 5-ski, 4-ski, 3-ski, 2-ski, and 1-ski quivers. And now, we’re addressing some of your questions related to how we design our quivers; what our biggest takeaways are; the dreaded 1-boot quiver; and more.   And if you’d like to get our recommendations for assembling your own ski quiver, then just become a Blister Member, send us an email, and we’ll remove the guesswork for you.TOPICS & TIMES:Principles for selecting ski quivers (3:50)Why the single-brand ski quiver question? (17:08)Our selections & their relevance / applicability (21:45)Lower vs Higher snowfall areas? (32:22)How do we choose which ski to ride on a given day? (36:00)Mount points (41:22)Separating resort vs. touring 1-ski quivers (46:39)Where’s the LINE Sick Day 104? (49:52)One *Boot* Quiver? (51:13) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

DWRs — or “Durable Water Repellent” coatings — play a huge role in the performance of your outdoor gear, and are used on nearly every waterproof garment on the market. But most DWRs are made with chemicals called PFCs, which can be harmful to you and the environment.Nikwax, however, makes products intended to extend the lifespan of outdoor gear, and none of their specialized cleaning, conditioning, or waterproofing products have ever used PFCs. So we talked with Heidi Allen from Nikwax about how DWRs work; the dangers of PFCs; how the industry is attempting to shift away from PFCs; garment care; and more. TOPICS & TIMES:Heidi’s background growing up off-the-grid (1:00)Durable Water Repellent (DWR) overview (2:54)DWRs vs. Membranes? (6:50)Hydrophobic vs. Oleophobic? (11:38)Why do clean garments perform better? (17:15)Alternatives to PFCs (19:06)Environmental & transparency initiatives at Nikwax (27:01)The future of DWRs (31:09)Páramo (33:30) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We talk to Moment Skis CEO, Luke Jacobson, about Moment’s entire “Commander” series; why we still need to do a better job educating skiers; how the Deathwish got its name; the history of the Bibby and the Blister Pro; some upcoming changes to the Blister Pro; and more.Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to catch the video of this episode (coming soon).TOPICS & TIMES:Moment Commander 108 (1:28)Moment Commander 98 (5:10)Moment Commander 118 (7:05)Moment Commander 124 (and the Moment Comi) (11:45)Why we need to do a better job educating skiers (15:25)Moment Deathwish (20:35)Moment Deathwish vs. Wildcat 108 (25:49)The history of the Bibby & Blister Pro (28:31)Putting the weight back into the Blister Pro (40:10)Moment Deathwish Tour (49:45)How the Deathwish got its name (53:35) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.